Fate's Journey (Scourge Survivor Series Book 5)

by JL Madore

  “It’s something, isn’t it?” Kobi stepped off the covered porch. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his weapons vest and placed one between his black lips.

  My heartrate quickened, the familiar flutter a side-effect I now associated with proximity to the demon. Was Aust right? Was that love?

  “Look at this place. I was just here, and weeks of scheduled work remained until construction could be completed. Bruin was awaiting supplies and Mika worried they’d never make it in time for the arrival of the Were Primes. How did they ever get it finished so fast?”

  “How do you think?” He exhaled a cloud of sweet-smelling smoke, and I blinked, connecting the logic.

  “Castian wanted a place for my mother to feel comfortable while here at Haven.”

  “Brains and beauty.”

  “Is Bruin all right with that? He doesn’t mind?”

  Kobi shook his head. “No, of course not. Weres revere your mother as much as any creatures of the animal world. He’s honored to host her. And what’s more, with the Were Primes arriving, she’ll have an army of Alpha warriors to protect her if anyone is dumb enough to threaten her again.”

  Castian was always thinking. It made sense and made me feel much better about things.

  “So, welcome, Lacy. Now you don’t need to slum around with me at the Dens. Courtesy of the God of gods, you got an upgrade. It’s good to have connections.”

  I fought not to roll my eyes. If, after the battles with Dane and Rheagan were over, I decided to remain in the Realm of the Fair, I would earn my stay. Castian couldn’t pave my way using his divine intervention. “I’ll speak to Bruin and make sure he doesn’t mind me staying here with my mom. With his guests coming for the solstice and the coronation, he doesn’t need to be worrying about us as well.”

  Kobi shrugged. “That’s between you and him.”

  I stepped closer to take Kobi’s hand, and he pulled back to extinguish his cigarette on the sole of his boot. I straightened and squeezed his arm. “I’m sorry I disappointed you. I need to sort things out. Are we okay?”

  He glanced at the tree line and gave me an unconvincing nod. “Sure, we’re good.”

  I looked him over, from the hard cut of his jaw to the rigid muscles beneath his vest. “You’re wearing your Talon gear. Are you back on duty? Did Reign cool off?”

  He scoffed. “Like you didn’t do that. Is that why you chased after Castian—to do me a solid? Thanks, but no thanks. I’ve made it on my own for too long to expect favors.”

  I crossed my arms and met his glare. “Do me a favor and stop thinking you’ve got me figured out. You get it wrong, every damn time.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “For your information, Castian and I discussed what to do now that Rheagan possesses his wife’s body. We’re faced with not only her powers but the combined strength of Dane, Abaddon, and his army. Funny, with my dysfunctional family threatening the freedom of the realm, it never dawned on me to bring up my asshole boyfriend’s current job status.”

  Kobi closed his eyes. “You’re right. I am an asshole.”

  “That’s what I said. Are you trying to push me away?”

  Kobi’s expression changed, and the sorrow was a shock. “Thanks for the boyfriend thing, but your mom wants you with Aust and, I gotta say, I see her point. The Highborne is a saint.”

  “My mother has diminished cognitive reasoning and doesn’t dictate my choices. Is that what this is? Are you hurt that she sees me with Aust instead of you?”

  Kobi pursed his lips and stared off over my shoulder. “No.”

  The lie permeated the air between us. The scent was acrid and burned my sinuses. I breathed it deep into my lungs and ran a gentle finger over the row of piercings across his brow.

  This was my fault.

  I left him raw and rattled by not returning his declaration of maybe love.

  “Zophia,” Aust said, rushing from the house. “Thank the Fates you returned. Come. Something is wrong with Shalana.”

  I ran, grabbing Aust’s hand as he led me into the house and to my mother.

  Shalana, Goddess of the Woodlands, Keeper of the Wilds—my mother—was dying. Immortal no longer. There was no doubt in my mind and no hope in my heart as I collapsed onto the bed next to her. Her energy was off, her skin covered in burns, and her eyes held none of the magic and wonder they always had.

  “What’s happened? Who did this to you?”

  She lifted a shaky hand, and Aust guided her to stroke my hair. “My amazing child, my greatest strength.”

  The welts on her arms and neck made my stomach churn. Bruises oozed across torn skin as if a magical attack bombarded her. Through a wall of tears, I turned to Aust. “What happened to her?”

  “I cannot say, sweeting. She grew quiet soon after you left and when we arrived here, I laid her down to rest. I checked on her through the morning, but these injuries simply appeared from nowhere moments ago.”

  “I’m so stupid,” I cried, swiping at my cheek. “Her energy was off in the library and I didn’t take the time to question it. She looked fine, but shielded her injuries until she couldn’t hide them any longer. Why, Mother? We could have helped you.”

  “No,” she said, struggling to sit up. “I have lived, loved, ruled my kingdom, and earned my fame. You never once complained about having me as your mother, but you deserved better—both then and now.”

  “Don’t say that,” I gasped. “You were the best. Are the best. Don’t leave me now. Everything is such a mess. I need you.”

  She shook her head. “I will be within you e’ermore, my love, I promise. And if my last act of power is to deny your father something he covets, I leave you a happy woman indeed.”

  My father. Hatred boiled in me, hot and consuming. “He tried to take your powers.”

  She nodded. “To no avail. Now, both of you come here and hold my hand for a moment.”

  Aust sat on the opposite side of the bed. He looked as shaken and ill as I felt. We both gathered one of her hands in our own.

  “You two are my future. My creatures and my lands are now in your care. Protect them and love them as I love you both. It may seem sudden, but I’ve known this day would come since I set those idols in the cave at Dragon’s Peak millennia ago. Be good to one another.”

  Tears streamed down my cheeks. I tried to speak, but my voice wouldn’t come.

  She looked at Aust then and said something in Elvish. He nodded, his tears brimming. “Thy will be done, milady.”

  My mother smiled, laid back, and squeezed our hands. Her grip tightened, her fingers digging into my flesh.

  “Ouch, Mom, that hurts.” A jolt of power shot up my arm, and she squeezed harder still. I shook my head. Energy flooded into me like a shockwave breaking through a levy. “Mom, don’t. Please don’t.”

  I pulled at my hand. Her grip was unbelievable, her intent clear. I sobbed. “I don’t want your powers, Mom. I want you. Don’t leave me. Stay and fight.”

  Head reeling, body aching, my ears buzzed under the onslaught of Fae energy. It bombarded. I absorbed the warmth of my mother’s gaze one last time . . . and blacked out.

  Aust held my one hand while Kobi held the other. A reverent group of Haven family and friends, forest animals, and Were Primes had gathered in the ancient ruins’ clearing to bear witness to Shalana, Keeper of the Wilds’, return to nature. Fire. Wind. Water. Earth. Flames from the pyre. Ashes on the breeze. Tears flowing. The earth, trees, and creatures mourning the loss of their mother.

  My mother.

  Blessed be.

  Beyond the staggering ache in my chest, an unfamiliar strength held me upright. It steeled my bones, replacing the meaty marrow with reinforced resolve. It ignited the blood in my cells. It brought my future into focus like never before. In all the centuries of my life, I had never been so self-possessed.

  My mother was within me, as she promised.

  Fae ley lines coursed beneath my feet, resonating with
her powers. They helped build and strengthen my resolve even as my mind buckled under the weight of sadness.

  Dane. Rheagan. Abaddon. They would pay for what they’d done. Pay for what they intended to do. Pay for it all.

  “Be at ease, Zophia.” Castian squeezed my shoulder.

  I blinked. My arms, raised to the stars above, sparked with energy. I commanded a powerful vortex encircling the clearing. The angry tempest of air awaited my command, hungry to be unleashed. Those standing in the eye of my storm watched with worried gazes. Jade and Galan. Lexi and Rowan. Mika and Bruin. Lia and Samuel. Aust and Kobi. Grandfather Hawk. Reign. Aust’s Highborne family.

  I lowered my arms. “My apologies.”

  Jade rose from the chair Galan had her sitting in. When he went to support her elbow, she slapped his hand away and rolled her eyes. “We get it, Zo. And we’re with you in whatever comes next.”

  I hugged her. “Thank you. Now, should you be out here in your condition?”

  “Twenty minutes, twice a day,” she said with a sigh. “That’s all the doctors allow me out of bed. Never mind the fact that I happened to be a recognized healer myself.”

  I hugged her again. Her emerald eyes, so comforting and so much like Castian’s. “Then get back and lie down before I get you into trouble. I want to meet these kids but not until they are fully cooked.”

  She hugged me again. “If you need anything—anything at all—you know where to find me.”

  Castian took my hand and wrapped it around the inside of his elbow. “She does, Mir. Now do as your cousin suggested and take care of my grandbabies.”

  Castian gathered me to his side, and the two of us stared at the smoldering pyre. Kobi joined the Weres and Aust, and his wolves plodded over to the Highbornes. I drew an unsteady breath of pine air. “Aust looks as bad as I feel.”

  Castian squeezed my hand under his. “Shalana meant a great deal to the man. She was a formidable woman and a beloved strength in the Pantheon. There never was, nor ever will there be, another like her.”

  “I can’t believe she’s gone.”

  “As an immortal, it is only by her own choice that she could have succumbed to her injuries. You realize that, yes?”

  I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “It hurts to think that she chose to leave me. I’d rather blame Dane or Rheagan for taking her.”

  Castian kissed the side of my head. “I don’t believe that is the case. At least not directly. You are destined for great things. She saw it as well as I. In a way, she set you free to discover what your future holds.”

  “I never wanted to be free. I loved caring for her. She was a constant in my life, and as an immortal, I assumed she’d always be with me.”

  “And she will. I feel her powers within you.”

  Faolan brushed my thigh, and I stroked her ebony ears. Paladin jumped onto his back legs and licked my hand. He’d become the wolf’s little black shadow, and I had no doubt Aust had instructed Faolan to care for the pup while he mourned the loss of his mother.

  Poor pup. I knew exactly how he felt.

  I blinked. Now that I thought about it—I did. I knew how he felt. Images and impressions of the pup’s thoughts and feelings became a tangible communication between us. I knelt down, and Faolan rubbed her muzzle against my cheek.

  “Thank you, girl. Yes, she was.” I blinked up at Castian through a wall of tears. “I can hear them. The animals are speaking to me.”

  Castian helped me straighten and kissed my forehead. “You have your mother’s powers—”

  The earth rumbled beneath my feet, and for the second time that month, an explosion shook the ruin site. Something heavy hit my head. Knocked off balance, I raised my hands as a second attack hit. I fell to the ground, the forest around me spinning out of focus.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Mika had covered both war-torn countries and natural disasters in her previous life as a journalist. The sheer mass of the devastation had always struck her hardest. She remembered wondering, how could a place go from being a calm and scenic, natural wonder one moment to a demolished warzone in the next? She now had her answer.

  Standing at the smoldering pyre with Shalana’s mourners, she stood amazed, once again, how quickly the Fates could turn the world upside down.

  After something exploded close by in the forest, Bruin checked that she and her grandfather were all right and then retrieved his phone. Scowling, and with his turquoise eyes flashing the gold of his ascending bear, he raised it to his mouth. “All call, my location. Hostiles on the grounds.”

  In the seconds that followed, two dozen men Flashed to their location and another two dozen followed Kobi as the demon raced into the fray.

  Reign called out to his men, looking murderous. “Julian, get the civilians into the guesthouse and get me intel. Everyone leave Castian to settle things with Rheagan and get his wife back. Bruin, back up Kobi and find Zophia. Samuel and Savage, you’re on Abaddon. Kick his ass. Cowboy, secure the Academy and the castle, and then get to Jade’s. You and Lexi guard her and our family. Chiron, take the Centaurs and lock down Jade’s mansion. Keep them out of this. Dane is mine. For what he did to Jade and Abbey, he’s got twenty years of payback coming. The rest of you, kill Scourge and get them the fuck off our mountain.”

  Everyone dispersed, dematerialized, and galloped off in different directions.

  Aust nodded to Nightrunner. The pack alpha cocked his wide russet head, and his ears pulled back. “The wolves can pick up Zophia’s trail, but magic confuses the scents. They’ll need the Weres to help.”

  Bruin kissed Mika and pointed to the guesthouse. “Take Lia and the others, and lockdown.” He turned to the Were leaders standing along the treeline. “Shift and follow. Let your animals loose. Tonight, we track, hunt, and kill.”

  Lexi caught Jade under the elbow and waited until the mountain stopped rocking before letting her go. The explosion detonated back at the ruin site and, by the sounds of things, all hell had broken loose. The ‘all call’ pinged on her phone a moment later. “Take care of her, Doc. Shit’s hitting. I gotta bounce.”

  Jade frowned and raised her fist for a bump. “Kick ass for me too. Wish I was coming.”

  She met her sister’s knuckles and nodded. “You’ll be back in the game soon enough, Blaze. Now get our men home and lockdown.”

  Rowan and Galan closed ranks, her hubby’s gaze keen and worried. “Come back to me in one piece, Trouble. I mean it.”

  Lexi winked and blew him a kiss. “I expect a full-body examination later.”

  Hustling her way back the way they’d come, she hoped there would still be some fighting left for her— “Oh shit.”

  There was no shortage of workout partners tonight. In fact, the size of the attacking force was incredible. She stalled out for a second as she gauged the size of the incoming army.

  Hundreds—possibly thousands—of Scourge poured onto the mountainside through magical portals. Well allllrighty then; Rheagan was making her big play for realm supremacy.

  Getting her feet moving once again, Lexi raised her blades and headed into the thick of things. “Yeah, we’ll fucking see about that, bitch.”

  Jade watched Lexi race toward the fight and hated the sinking feeling festering in her gut. Something wicked had come to their mountain, and she knew without a doubt that Rheagan and Abaddon were behind it. An attack like this put everyone and everything she loved at risk, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to stop it.

  “Blossom, please, we must needs get you to safety.” She allowed herself to be swept along by the tide of Galan and Rowan.

  She tried not to think about her family and friends facing the toughest fight of their lives, about the students in the castle being vulnerable, about how many would be injured and her unable to heal them while her powers were bound.

  She winced as something let loose and warm liquid rushed down the inside of her legs. “Um . . . Rowan? I think I’m in trouble here.”

 
Lexi’s handsome hubby stopped and looked at the dark patch spreading down her pants. “Are you in any pain? Is this blood or your water breaking?”

  “No ide—aughh!” She gripped Galan’s arm as her vision phased in and out. Her body tightened and then eased, her back burning with fiery pain. “I think these kids have waited as long as they plan to.”

  “What?” Galan said, glancing around the forest. “Now? You cannot bear our young in the middle of a Scourge attack.”

  Jade laughed until another contraction took hold and her knees buckled. “Tell that to your children.”

  Galan scooped her to his chest and straightened, but the strain of carrying her was plain on his panicked face.

  “I’m too heavy. If we move between contractions, I can wal—” She cried out as the gallop of hooves announced the arrival of the Centaurs. “Hey, D. A little help.”

  Chiron frowned at them and raised his arms. “Give her to me, Galan. She’ll break your back.”

  “You . . . implying I’m fat . . . old man?”

  “I imply nothing. You’re bigger than my house.”

  Galan shifted her into the arms of her lifelong teacher and friend. When he stepped away, Galan’s arms were smeared with her blood.

  Jade wasn’t sure if it was the sight of the blood or the loss of it, but a wave of dizzy spun her for a loop.

  Rowan cursed. “Back to the mansion. Now.”

  Lia settled Grandfather Hawk onto a chair in the kitchen and peered out the window wall at the clearing beyond. The darkness of night was upon them, but her Elven sight gave her perfect vision. She searched for any sign of Samuel’s signature blue bolts of magic but saw nothing. If her beloved mate was taking on Abaddon, she wanted to be there. To fight at his side. To stand up for the realm she was supposed to govern.

  “Stand away from the door, Lia,” Julian said, gesturing for her to join the others in the sitting area. “Keeping yourselves safe is the best way to help your husbands.”